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Great episode. I didn't realize how poorly people thought of it, at least compared to the rest of the season, until I registered to this board. Oh well. I still enjoy it, especially for Burns/Bart dynamic.

A lot of cheap gags (Homer as chimney sweep, for example), but there were some hilarious sequences here as well (the actors portraying Homer, Marge, and Lisa in particular, that was a riot). For that sequence alone, this deserves 7/10.

Bart: "Please don't call our parents!"
Chief: "I'm afraid I have to for hijinks like these. Hijinks - it's a funny word. Three dotted letters in a row."
Eddie: "Is it hyphenated?"
Chief: "It used to be, back in the good old days, you know. Of course, every generation hyphenates the way it wants to. Then there's *NSYNC! What the hell is that? Jump in any time there, Eddie, these are good topics."

I'm too lazy to rewrite up my thoughts on this episode, so I'll just paste some earlier comments (with a few added thoughts) on why, despite its fair share of enjoyable enough moments, its ranks among the weaker of the classic era episodes:

Burns' Heir seems to be the first episode that anticipates the numerous problems that were to reoccur during the double-digit seasons, namely an unrealistic and often silly storyline, a number of gags gratuitous to the plot (Homer as chimney sweep, the boot kicking Bart, Homer repeatedly kissing Hans Moleman, his flower addiction, the Orange Julius) or just plain disturbing and/or tasteless (the exploding head, Burns' rib cracking and Bart's hunchback posture) and out-of character acting, Homer and Bart in particular. Homer isn't a jerkass like in later episodes, but there seems to be no depth to his character - his behaviour is extremely stupid or just plain weird (like calling Burns Kurns - the flowers and Hans Moleman bits have already been mentioned) - this is not the Homer we know and love, but unfortunately a one that we would suffer in much of the later seasons but with the added boorishness and mean-spiritedness from many episodes from Trash of the Titans onwards. Bart is also poorly characterised, switching uneasily in act one from an exaggerated version of his rampant destructive side (smashing windows left right and centre, knocking the heads off statues, flooding the car) through suddenly liking Burns and disliking his family in return to suddenly missing his family, making the resulting emotional conflict somewhat thin and contrived, especially as it's hard to feel much sympathy or empathy for his plight when we have no real logical explanation of why he went to live with Burns (other than Marge practically forcing him - more OOC acting), or, hell, why he was appointed heir in the first place. Finally, the bit with the actors imitating OFF (especially the Estonian midget playing Lisa) with them hanging out with the Simpsons to get their characters is probably the stupidest plot twist of the classic era, second only to the Springfield Elementary School and Prison at the end of The PTA Disbands, and is all too prophetic of many similarly (if not more) implausible plot developments that plagued so many of the later Scully episodes.

However when all's said and done, it's not bad, just too flawed to repay many repeated viewings. C+

The plot is truly weak towards the end, creating a completely uninteresting and uninvolving conflict. The idea is interesting, but (story-wise) the execution really isn't there. However, like most episodes of the time with that basic problem, the humor is good enough for the episode to be fairly entertaining anyway. So it's a decent episode, if very forgettable in the long run. Only other thing is that they cut what was easily the absolute best joke out of the episode, the Richard Simmons robot. B-

Two eyes, two ears, a chin, a mouth, ten fingers, two nipples, a butt, two kneecaps, a penis. I've just described to you the Loch Ness Monster. And the reward for its capture? All the riches in Scotland. So I have one question: why are you here?

^ I'm glad they cut that, though...it seemed far too 'out there' for the episode, especially one in the classic era. Although it's definitely good as a deleted scene.

I don't mind the episode at all. It had a lot of memorable moments, like Burns' flashbacks, the movie ('let's all go to the lobby...get ourselves some snacks!'), the auditions, Bart in the car and the fake OFF to name 5. Like some late s4 episodes it had its share of unneeded jokes, like the man's head popping and the Homer/Moleman scenes. The plot itself was handled quite well, but there could have been more interaction between Bart and the family beforehand to build up a better conflict. B

I really have no idea how you can dislike this episode for an 'unrealistic and silly storyline.' I've hardly seen an episode that didn't have one of those. I didn't see anyone out of character. Homer's eating flowers was strange, but amusing. Hans Moleman as Bart was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Bart's changing attitudes are explainable. Bart is rejected by Burns who also kicks him with a boot. It is not unlike Bart to start destroying Burn's stuff in revenge. Burns accepts him, which is what he wanted all along, yet Bart is still disliking him somewhat. Eventually, he likes him out of greed, which is understandable for a boy like Bart. Of course, Bart misses his old life, as any normal boy should. It's all understandable.

I really have no idea how you can dislike this episode for an 'unrealistic and silly storyline.' I've hardly seen an episode that didn't have one of those. I didn't see anyone out of character. Homer's eating flowers was strange, but amusing. Hans Moleman as Bart was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Bart's changing attitudes are explainable. Bart is rejected by Burns who also kicks him with a boot. It is not unlike Bart to start destroying Burn's stuff in revenge. Burns accepts him, which is what he wanted all along, yet Bart is still disliking him somewhat. Eventually, he likes him out of greed, which is understandable for a boy like Bart. Of course, Bart misses his old life, as any normal boy should. It's all understandable.

But I never got the impression from the episode that Bart was all that interested in Burns' money in the first place. He was upset mainly because of failing the audition and being humiliated by the boot kicking him, but that didn't seem a sufficiently logical or convincing reason for him to trash Burns' estate the way he did. Bart is more of an ingenious mischief-maker (the classic example being Radio Bart) than a wanton vandal. When he cut off the head of Jebediah Springfield in The Telltale Head at least there was a plausible explanation in that he desperately wanted to be popular, and even after he did it he immediately realised the full extent of his crime ("What have I done?"). He only really became interested in Burns' fortune when, whilst staying with Burns, he then realized the unlimited opportunities that becoming heir would give him. Also, his love for Burns seemed to be genuine rather than simply out of greed, and to see Bart hugging Burns barely 24 hours after vandalising his estate seemed strange to say the least, even taking into account the fickle nature of most ten year olds. My main complaint, however, is not so much that Bart is out of character (though he is in some aspects) is that his characterisation isn't particularly well developed. As I said, even though his changing attitudes are understandable, it's the manner in which he jumps from one different attitude to another which I find objectionable, which comes across more as a series of contrivances to advance the plot, rather than creating much in the way of emotional empathy for Bart's circumstances. And I'm afraid I can't agree with the bits about Homer eating flowers or Hans imitating Bart, which I see as the lamest jokes of season 5, if not the whole of the classic era.

The storyline is silly and unrealistic because of the concept of Burns auditioning elementary school kids for the position of heir in the first place (wouldn't a responsible young adult be more suited for this privilege?), and, as already mentioned, Burns making Bart heir for vandalising his property, and worst of all, the actors imitating the Simpsons family, which again comes across as a plot contrivance to make Bart like Burns more and make his eventual return to the Simpsons household supposedly more heart-warming. However, those aspects wouldn't bother me too much if the humour was more consistent, the characterisation better, and the emotional conflict better realized (after all no one objects to arguably more far-fetched storylines in the likes of Homer at the Bat, Marge vs the Monorail and Deep Space Homer), it's just that they come across as more noticeable when there are the glaring flaws elsewhere that I mentioned.

However, those aspects wouldn't bother me too much if the humour was more consistent, the characterisation better, and the emotional conflict better realized (after all no one objects to arguably more far-fetched storylines in the likes of Homer at the Bat, Marge vs the Monorail and Deep Space Homer), it's just that they come across as more noticeable when there are the glaring flaws elsewhere that I mentioned.

Bashing episodes just because they have far-fetched plots are in a way knee-jerk bashing. Its more about how the plot is executed that matters. Lot of season 4-6 have many thin wacky plots (Whacking Day, Bart's Comet) but they are executed very well and humour is very consistent which I enjoy them very much.

Unfortunately that cannot be said for this episode. Personally I found the concept of Burns trying to mold Bart into his protege quite intriguing but the towards the end the episode presents a very unengaging and predictable dramatic conflict. The episode is filled with weird gags (Homer as chimney sweeper, Homer eating flowers and constantly kissing Moleman) and some revelations are very weird (the fake family actually staying the family comes to mind). The character conflict is ultimately underdeveloped and has questionable characterisation ,especially for Burns and Homer. Homer suffers from uber-dumb moments (calling Burns Kurns, "ooh, him card read good") and Burns is surprisingly quite bland. Worst of Season 5 for me. C+

edit: Agreed with DTB that they cut out the best joke in the enitre episode.

Last edited by Imperciph; 01-26-2006 at 08:56 PM.

It's a bit like having sex with a jellyfish: once might an interesting experiment, twice would be perversion!

after I told him my name, he beat seven shades out of me and left me in a dumpster with a bar of soap shoved in my mouth and a brush shoved in where the sun doesn't shine

But I wasn't bashing the episode just because of its far-fetched plot, but also because of the other flaws I mentioned which make the somewhat thin and not very believable premise all the more noticeable. And anyway, most would agree that it's the completely nonsensical and illogical plotting that plays a big part in making KTAAR one of the worst episodes of all time.

There were lots of problems concerning characterization and some pointless jokes thrown in to win you over (Kissing a peanut?). I didn't laugh very much, and the conflict is pretty stupid; they wasted a good premise. Another reason why Season 5 is my least favorite classic season - C+

she didnt exactly read shrek the 3rd, which apparently exists as some sort of companion book for a pixar movie. no, this would probably take several minutes (perhaps 10), and would have ultimately depricated the shrek 3 cinematic experience

she merely looked at the book

she saw it, perhaps in the childrens section of a barnes & noble, registered it in her mind as being in existance, and filed it away for later as the subject for a post on BOOKS YOUVE READ. only she just looked at it. and it was shrek 3